Belgium has a cultural diversity that belies its rather dull reputation among travelers. Its population is divided between Flemish-speakers (about 60%) and French-speaking Walloons (40%), with a few pockets of German-speakers in the east. The north and south of Belgium are visually very different. Marking the meeting of the two, Brussels, the capital, is a culturally varied city at the heart of the European Union. The north, made up of the provinces of West and East Flanders, Antwerp, Limburg and much of Brabant, is mainly flat, with a landscape and architecture not unlike Holland. Antwerp is the second city, a bustling old port with doses of high art, redolent of its sixteenth-century golden age. Further south and west are the great historic cities, Bruges and Ghent, with a stunning concentration of Flemish art and architecture. Another enjoyable inland Flanders town is the cathedral city of Mechelen, halfway between Brussels and Antwerp. The southern reaches of Brabant are French speaking, and merge into the Walloon province of Hainaut - rich agricultural country, scarred by pockets of industry and boasting the historic city of Tournai. East of here lies Belgium's most scenically rewarding region, the Ardennes , an area of deep, wooded valleys, high elevations and dark caverns.
Transportation in Belgium
By Car: : Belgium is well covered by networks of main roads and (toll-free) motor ways. Congestion is normally tolerable outside the major cities. The speed limit in built-up areas is 50kph, on main roads 90kph and on motorways 120kph. Seat belts are compulsory and penalties for drunken driving stiff.
By Bus: : As so much of Belgium is covered by the rail network, buses are only really used for travelling short distances, or in parts of the Ardennes where there are fewer rail lines.
By Rail: : SNCB operates a dense railway network with regular trains on most lines. On the main lines there are more frequent trains. InterRail and Eurail passes are valid throughout the network, as is the Belgian Tourrail pass, which gives entitlement to five days' unlimited rail travel within a month. Eurostar trains run from London Waterloo and Ashford to Brussels and are valid for onward travel to any Belgian Railway station.
By Ferry: : Frequent ferry services run to and from Zeebrugge to Hull and Rosyth (Edinburgh)
By Air: : Due to its size, there are no internal flights in Belgium. SN Brussels Airlines operate services to and from 58 European destinations as well as others worldwide.
There's a popular conception that all of Belgium is pancake-flat - but it isn't true. The southern part of the country holds the forested hills and river valleys of the Ardennes, popular with canoeists and hikers alike. Belgian Chocolate is often imitated but never bettered, Belgian chocolate is internationally famous: Leonidas are probably the cheapest chain, but many people prefer the chocolates of the smaller Neuhaus company. Every large town has at least a couple of chocolate shops. Tournai - often neglected by British tourists, its antique town centre with its narrow lanes and cobbled alleys fans out from an imposing Romanesque Cathedral, decorated with extraordinary carvings of the Virtues and the Vices. In Brussels, the Musées Royaux des Beaux Arts constitute Belgium's most satisfying collection of fine art, with stunning samples of the work of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Rubens and the Belgian surrealists - most notably Magritte and Delvaux. Catch up on Hergé's Adventures of Tintin in Brussels at the Centre Belge de la Bande Dessinée, which is devoted to the fascinating history of the country's cartoons and comic strips. Of the hundreds of exquisite medieval paintings on view in Belgium, perhaps the most wonderful is the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, a stunning and extraordinarily intricate painting displayed in St Baafskathedraal in Ghent. If you're heading for Antwerp, you must visit the Onze Lieve Vrouwe Cathedral and admire the three Rubens paintings hanging inside, as well as the fine sixteenth-century interior.
Main Attractions
Manneken-Pis (Brussels)
The famous landmark in Brussels located on the corner of the Rue de l'Etuve near the Grand' Place.
Grand' Place (Brussels)
At the centre of Brussels and the most popular area for tourists and the venue of many festivals including the Ommegang in May.
Parc du Cinquantenaire (Brussels)
A few minutes' walk from the Metro station Schuman. Created to mark the first 50 years of the kingdom of Belgium (formed in 1830).
Atomium (Brussels)
One of the most famous symbols of Brussels, built for the International Exhibition of 1958 and based on the structure of an atom of iron.
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